The woman became known as the "Lady of the Lake." The lake she was found in was known for never giving up the dead. The condition her body was found in is known as "saponification" and resulted from minerals in the lake interacting with the fats in her body. Because the lake was near freezing, the body was essentially refrigerated the whole time.
So where did this mysterious soap lady come from? It wasn't easy to find out. Much of her face was gone, making the body unrecognizable. And since the ends of her hands were exposed, the tips of her fingers were gone along with any hope of fingerprints. Investigators were able to determine that she had been beaten and strangled, however.
What led to the identification of the woman and eventual catching of her killer was a distinctive dental plate. A dentist was able to identify her as Hallie Illingworth, and an investigation into her disappearance led police to her husband, who had been known to beat and cheat on her. When she first disappeared, he had told authorities that she ran away with another man, but her family never believed that.
The trial competed with news from WWII and frequently had front page coverage in local newspapers. The husband was taken into custody nearly four years later and sentenced to life in prison after a four-hour jury deliberation.
